Dr. Oz swears by this rule for beating hangovers — here's what other docs say

It’s holiday party season, which means people are a little more likely to overindulge than usual. If you know you tend to get raging hangovers this time of year, Dr. Oz has some advice for you. “First off, never have two [alcoholic] drinks in a row,” Dr. Oz told Us Weekly in a new interview. “You have a drink and then water. A drink and then water — equal amounts — so it slows you down.”

Hangovers come from dehydration, Oz says. “Your brain is like a walnut,” he adds. “If it dries out, it’s bouncing around that coconut skull. It hurts.” The answer? “Hydration,” he says.

If you happen to overdo it anyway and wind up with a hangover, Dr. Oz previously recommended that you drink 1/4 cup of pickle juice to help replenish the body’s electrolytes and ease your hangover.

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Hangover Helpers

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Hangover Helpers

What's your best bet to steer clear of the blinding headache, nausea, stomach upset, brain fog and fatigue that accompany your hangover post-partying? We have a few pointers that may help.

Choose colorless cocktails. Not all alcohol is created equal, especially when it comes to what kind of a hangover wallop it packs. “Brown alcohol contains something called ‘congeners,’ which are somewhat toxic and difficult for your body to metabolize,” says Cheryl Forberg, R.D., the original nutritionist for The Biggest Loser. Because of these substances, which are created during the fermentation process, dark colored beverages such as tequila, brandy and bourbon seem to contribute to hangovers more than clear alcohol such as gin, vodka or white wine.

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Pick your poison. It’s a no-brainer: The more alcohol you consume, the more likely you are to have a hangover so choosing your cocktail carefully is key. “Beer has less alcohol than wine which has less alcohol than vodka,” explains Susan Blum, M.D., assistant clinical professor of preventative medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and founder of The Blum Center for Health in Rye Brook, N.Y. Find out the alcohol content of any drink at RethinkingDrinking.com.

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Go gluten free. “People who are sensitive to gluten will feel worse the next day if they drink beer made from barley or other alcohol fermented from wheat or rye,” says Dr. Blum. If this is you, opt for potato vodka or tequila, which is made from agave. “Also, people sensitive to mold or with mold allergies might feel worse from drinking red wine, because there are lots of mold proteins in the sediment,” adds Blum.

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Forget the fizzy stuff. A small study out of University of Surrey in the U.K. compared the effects of flat and fizzy champagne on the same group of people. Results revealed that participants had higher levels of alcohol in their blood after drinking the fizzy champagne than they did when sipping the flat version of the cocktail. Researchers suspect that carbon dioxide (which is what causes the bubbles) may accelerate the body’s absorption of alcohol.

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Don’t sip on an empty stomach. If you plan to toast to the holiday season with some cocktails, don’t forget to eat both before and while you drink. “In addition to the fact that food in your bloodstream helps ‘dilute’ the alcohol, it also slows down the metabolism of alcohol and its release into the bloodstream,” explains Forberg.

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Have your drinks on the rocks. “Ice waters down your drink, which will help you pace yourself,” says Blum. “This extra water will also help your blood flow through your liver and kidneys and help your body flush out and process the alcohol.” Throughout the night, you should also down a glass of H20 between each alcoholic drink.

“Alcohol can cause you to become dehydrated, which is part of the hangover,” explains Blum, who also suggests drinking lots of water before you head out for the night.

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Pop a supplement. Although it’s tempting to reach for an over-the-counter pain reliever such asaspirin or acetaminophen when your head is pounding, over-the-counter pain meds may increase the risk of stomach bleeding, ulcers and liver damage when consumed with booze. Instead, try taking a supplement preventively. “Supplements with the herb milk thistle (also called silymarin) or other liver/detox support supplements will boost your detox system before you go out so that your body processes alcohol more easily,” explains Blum. This reduces your likelihood of a hangover.

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Get hydrated at home. After you come home from a night of drinking, start guzzling water. “Alcohol is a diuretic and dehydrating so it's important to replete your body's fluid loss,” says Forberg. The next day, hydrate your body with any liquids you can stomach such as orange juice, vegetable juices or smoothies to help ease dehydration-induced headaches.

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Nix the nausea. “Nausea can be a problem because it will keep you from drinking all the water that you need,” notes Blum. Quell queasiness with ginger tea or ginger/apple/carrot juice. If you’re really feeling green, stick to bland foods including saltines, pretzels and plain rice, which make good stomach-soothers.

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Get moving. It may be the last thing you feel like doing when the room is spinning, but mild forms of exercise such as taking a walk or gentle jog in fresh air can help you get over a hangover. “Exercise is one of the best ways to clear toxins from the body and feel better,” says Blum. Plus, adds Forberg, “endorphins from exercise can boost your mood, while deep breathing fresh air can help you relax.” Just remember to sip water along the way so you stay hydrated.

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The Doctorshave also tackled hangover cures, recommending that people have “The Doctors Shot of Health.” It involves downing a slightly complicated drink that includes two cups of coconut water, one teaspoon of dried turmeric, 1/2 ounce of fresh ginger root, juice from one lemon, and up to two tablespoons of honey.

In general, hangover prevention isn’t rocket science: Drinking in moderation is the best way to avoid the pain, health expert Jennifer Wider, MD, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “The more someone drinks and the more alcohol they ingest, the more likely they are to have a severe hangover,” she says.

Still, if you’re prone to hangovers, you probably want to avoid certain types of alcohol that are more likely to trigger hangover symptoms. “Champagne is known to cause bad symptoms because the carbon dioxide in the carbonation may hasten the alcohol absorption,” Wider says. “Other types of darker alcohol like tequila, whiskey, and bourbon have more chemicals called congeners, which result from the fermentation process. These congeners have been known to worsen hangover symptoms.”

RELATED: Cocktails by the calories

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Cocktails by the calories

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Cocktails by the calories

Champagne: 105-125 calories

White wine: 110-125 calories

Red wine: 110-130 calories

Old fashioned: 118 calories

Mimosa: 87 calories

Margarita: 120 calories

Mojito: 135 calories

Vodka tonic: 137 calories

Rum and coke: 143 calories

Screwdriver: 145 calories

Daiquiri: 148 calories

Gin and tonic: 151 calories

White Russian: 152 calories

Whiskey sour: 156 calories

Martini: 161 calories

Pina colada: 170 calories

Dark n' stormy: 172 calories

Sex on the beach: 179 calories

Tequila sunrise: 200 calories

Vodka and Red Bull: 206 calories

Cosmo: 218 calories

Long Island iced tea: 218 calories

Vodka Jell-o shot: 94 calories

Vodka shot: 96 calories

Rum shot: 96 calories

SoCoand lime shot: 100 calories

Tequila shot: 104 calories

Whiskey shot: 105 calories

Jagermeister: 155 calories

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While hydration matters, it’s not the be all and end all. “It isn’t going to cure your hangover, but dehydration can definitely worsen the symptoms,” Wider says. That’s why she says that making sure you stay hydrated when you drink “will help” to some degree.

Eating food while you drink or, at least, having a solid amount of food in your stomach when you drink can help. “Food can slow down the alcohol absorption rate, which will have a positive effect on the severity of a hangover,” Wider says. “It can also help replenish the body of both nutrients and electrolytes — elements it may lose while drinking.”

Overall, it’s really best to try to keep yourself in check. “The likelihood of feeling hung-over goes way up with binge drinking, so if you are going to drink during the holidays, try do to so in moderation,” Wider says.